conflicting Information

What can you do when you come across information which conflicts with previously gathered info? That's the dilemma I am in today.

My Dees family has been fairly easy to trace until I try to link Bluford Dees with his parents, and until I try to discover the true surname for his wife, Phebe/Phoebe.

I have a source (the Morman's wonderful index called IGI, focus on Kentucky) which gives their daughter, Rhoda Ann Dees (born 5 Oct 1849), as being the daughter of Luford (obviously Bluford) Dees and Phebe Bryant. Now up until I found this source in 1994, I believed (from family tradition) that Phebe's maiden name was Downing. But the surname Bryant now enters the picture.

Also in the 1850 Federal census of Marshall Co, KY, there are Downing families, as well as my Bluford and Phebe, daughter Rhoda and another child, Caroline Chandler. Is Caroline a daughter of Phebe's by a previous marriage? There are only two years differing in Caroline and Rhoda's ages (Caroline, 3; and Rhoda, 1). Also another confusing fact: in these Downing families are two men with the given name Bryant. Soooo.. is Bryant a family surname from previous generations that has been used as given names?

In the Ancestry.com site, I came across a researcher who has given a birthdate for Phebe other than the abt 1822 that I've carried for years. This researcher says that Phebe (born 26 Jan 1822) is the daughter of William Downing (born 1791; died 22 Nov 1858) and Rhoda Fitzgerrald. This would make a lot of sense because Phebe has named her daughter Rhoda, and I also know she and Bluford had a son named William. But how can I trust this source?

So the dilemma remains. How can I bridge this generation's gap? How can I find proof positive of the link? I'm still thinking on that. I've written an email to the researcher who gave the information on Ancestry.com, and hopefully will hear from him/her soon with their source information for linking Phebe with William Downing and Rhoda Fitzgerrald. But unless I do, or until I do, I have to keep searching.

The luxury of a research trip to the area in Kentucky is not feasible right now, but perhaps in the future. Searching prime sources can be a time consuming and a tedious and tiring procedure, but it is still the best way to find proofs for certain pieces of information.

Well, enough of this today. That is my puzzle this day, my dilemma, my quest. Wish me luck!